Posts Tagged ‘community military partnership’

Officials from Fairbanks, other local governments and Eielson Air Force Base last week signed a charter agreement to participate in the Air Force Community Partnership Program, along with separate agreements setting up specific partnerships. The agreements signed Thursday will allow surrounding communities to collaborate with Eielson to help military spouses find jobs, connect local residents with job openings on the installation and use the base’s indoor turf fields in the winter. The agreements are “the first step in a long process,” said Col. Michael Winkler, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing …

A group of civilian ambassadors appointed by the wing commander of Grand Forks Air Force Base has been staying busy, keeping the Grand Forks community in eastern North Dakota up to date about activities at the installation, organizing military appreciation day events and traveling to Washington to meet with Pentagon officials. “Having a close relationship between the community and the base is very important. We always want the community to know what we’re doing out here, so we’re not a mystery,” said Wing Commander Col. Paul Bauman. The ambassadors are briefed on Air Force and air base activities during at least one event annually, and are invited to attend events planned for visiting high-ranking military leaders and other important visitors …

The village of Shiloh, Ill., has renewed its agreement to work with Scott Air Force Base and other neighboring communities to identify opportunities to save money or enhance mission effectiveness at the installation located across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. The memorandum of understanding formalizes Shiloh’s participation in the Air Force Community Partnership Program, the service’s effort to take advantage of the new authority allowing installations to enter into intergovernmental support agreements with their host community to share base support services. “I think all of you are aware that we’ve been attending meetings with other communities, as well as with Scott Air Force Base, in partnering to figure out ways that the village and other cities around the base can partner together to perhaps save them money and us [as well] in the process,” said Mayor Jim Vernier …

The military services should take advantage of the relatively new authority allowing installations to enter into intergovernmental support agreements with local governments to provide, receive or share support services for most municipal functions, according to report language accompanying the fiscal 2016 defense authorization bill. “The [House Armed Services] Committee notes that the authority to enter into intergovernmental support agreements is broad and encourages the Department of Defense to leverage this authority in a manner that provides costs savings and improved services in support of Department of Defense installations, military personnel and their families,” the report states …

Since the beginning of April, low-risk inmates from the Taylor County Detention Center have been cleaning up common areas at Dyess Air Force Base, located outside of Abilene, Texas, under a partnership between the Air Force and the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office. The inmates, escorted by an officer, have been clearing areas of weeds and debris, reported BigCountryhomepage.com. The Air Force is receiving the inmates’ services for free. “We’re not paying them, they’re not paying us. In the future, I’m sure there will be some sort of cross training between some of our officers and some of their personnel, and maybe even do some more specialized training for some of our people,” said Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop …

Steven Zander, who leads the Air Force Community Partnership Program, will be honored today on Capitol Hill as one of 30 finalists for the 2015 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals. “The Service to America Medal finalists showcase the good that our public servants do each and every day behind-the-scenes on behalf of the American public,” Max Stier, president and CEO of Partnership for Public Service, told Federal News Radio. “They epitomize the true spirit and value of public service,” Stier said. Zander was nominated in the management excellence category for leading a team to develop innovative partnerships between Air Force bases and their neighboring communities to save money and strengthen the local base and community support in a wide range of service areas, including libraries, golf courses, snow removal, operation of a water/wastewater treatment plant, and construction/maintenance of ball fields …

The city of Monterey, Calif., will hold a cultural festival this weekend to highlight the community’s close relationship with its two military installations — the Presidio of Monterey, home of the Defense Language Institute, and the Naval Postgraduate School.
With a BRAC round looming, the inaugural Language Capital of the World Cultural Festival will provide an opportunity for Monterey to demonstrate its support for the two installations, according to Mayor Clyde Roberson. “We can provide the [Defense Department’s] mission here better than anywhere else,” Roberson said last week. “This is just one of the many steps we are taking.” Last year, Monterey County trademarked the slogan, the “Language Capital of the World,” as part of an effort to raise the profile of the Defense Language Institute. Military activity in Monterey contributes $1.4 billion to the local economy annually, reported the Monterey Herald.

The military services are increasingly relying on public-private and public-public partnerships (P4s) to enhance the military value of bases and deliver many support services more efficiently, but the Defense Department will need to clarify its authorities and establish implementation procedures to fully promote P4s, according to a new paper published by the National Defense University.
“While P4 is not a new concept, it has never received as much attention as it does today as a tool or technique to accomplish DOD missions,” writes author Samuel Bendett. “More practitioners are now being exposed to P4s, and it is expected they will consider them equal to or in lieu of traditional procurement …

Officials in Middle Georgia are working on a plan that would allow commercial use of airside facilities at Robins Air Force Base. The 21st Century Partnership and the Houston County Development Authority are developing the plan, and so far Air Force officials are encouraging the groups to move forward, reported the Telegraph. The plan likely would provide lease revenue to the installation and support development of the region’s aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul industry, said Charles Stenner, CEO of the 21st Century Partnership. “We think we’ve got a start [on getting] a handle on all the things that will be required, and now we’ve got to get on down the road …

Language in the fiscal 2015 defense authorization bill is spurring the Army to fully embrace an authority first enacted two years ago allowing installations to enter into intergovernmental support agreements with their host communities to share support services for most municipal functions. When section 331 was first introduced two years ago, Army efforts to take advantage of it were slowed over concerns that newly reached partnerships with host communities would need to adhere to the federal rules governing competitive acquisitions. The new language, however, transfers section 331 from a chapter of the U.S. Code dealing with procurement to one focused on real estate to make clear that the shared services authority can sidestep the Federal Acquisition Regulation …